Howard Charlton Kearns Jr.

Howard Charlton Kearns, Jr. was born on June 25, 1922 in Stewartstown, York County, PA, at the home of his parents, Howard Charlton Kearns and Ethel May Murphy Kearns. Howard was christened and raised in the Stewartstown Presbyterian Church, earned Eagle Scout, and graduated from Stewartstown High School in 1940; he was president of the senior class.

Howard attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute (now Virginia Tech) initially as a member of the class of 1944 He was active in the "German" (dance) Club and the marching band, playing clarinet and saxophone. He graduated in 1947 in civil engineering after serving in World War II.

Howard enlisted in the US Army in 1942, and was in France and Germany in 1945, making maps from aerial photos as a member of the 667th Engineer Topographic Company, 3rd Army, rising to the rank of first lieutenant.

After the war, Howard put his civil engineering degree to work, inspecting properties for insurance companies. Howard married Mary Alderson of Lewisburg, West Virginia in 1948, and was transferred to Atlanta, Georgia in 1950, where he lived the rest of his life. Howard and Mary had three children -John Alderson Kearns in 1951 (d. 1983), Thomas Charlton Kearns in 1956, and Laura Anne Kearns in 1960 - and attended Trinity Presbyterian Church.

From 1952-1997 Howard worked for Haas & Dodd Insurance Company where he ultimately became president and co-owner. He also became president of the Atlanta Association of Independent Insurance Agents, president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, and National Director of the Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters (CPCU).

After his wife Mary died in 1993, Howard Kearns was blessed by a second wonderful marriage - this one, in 1995, to Evalyn Exley Macgill of Savannah.

Howard died on June 20, 2017. The family's wishes to thank Mr. Kearns' devoted caregivers and hospice care staff.

Howard is survived by his wife, Evalyn Kearns, his children, Thomas Kearns of Woodstock, and Laura Kearns of Decatur, his daughter-in-law, Judy Waddington, of Bec de Jun, France, his grandchildren, Christina and Daniel Kearns, of Bristol, England, his great-granddaughter Leila, of Bristol, England, his niece, Lydia Hicks, of Lewisburg, West Virginia, and her sons, Will, and Blair, his niece, Monty Alderson, of Los Angeles, California, his nephew, Coleman Alderson, and Coleman's wife LeAura, son Nikolai, and daughter Devani of Walkertown, North Carolina, his stepdaughter, Alston Ryder, of Statesboro, Georgia and stepsons, Frank Macgill of Savannah, Georgia and Douglas & Alice Macgill of San Antonio, Texas.

There will be a celebration of Howard's life at 3:30 PM on Sunday, June 25, 2017 (his 95th birthday) in the Essex room at Huntcliff Summit, 8592 Roswell Rd., Sandy Springs. Howard will be buried in the Rosewood Cemetery in Lewisburg, West Virginia on Wednesday, June 28, 2017, after a service at the Old Stone Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the American Cancer Society.